EQO brings VoIP to mobile

Internet telephony player EQO Communications took its service offering to the mobile space on Wednesday, promising savings of up to 95 per cent on international calls.

But rather than taking on the multitude of players in the VoIP over wifi space, like Truphone or Gizmo, EQO is targeting the truly mobile customer base.

EQO Mobile is powered by a software application that sits on the device. When a call is placed, all the call initiation and signalling, presence and messaging is made on the data network, while the call is carried over the circuit switched network.

In this way it differs to offerings like Fring, which send all traffic over the data network and can help users sidestep restrictive data packages which ban VoIP calling.

In a nutshell, calls and SMS’ between EQO users are free, while international calls are charged at local call prices.

Simon Edelstyn, general manager of EQO Europe, told telecoms.com, “The benefits of VoIP have not fully translated to mobile because the user experience is not as easy as it could be.”

Edelstyn believes the user experience needs to be “click to call” without the friction of setting a device up or finding a hotspot. Although it does not support it at present a VoIP over wifi version of EQO is in the works.